Tuesday, December 18, 2012

This is unfortunate, as others in leadership at the D&C are trying to build an environment for healthy discussions on race. How long will the D&C stay in a position of having the personal bias of a few in leadership discredit the objectives of the establishment?

Lawrence acknowledges Scott's appointment, as "the first African American Republican senator from the South since Reconstruction," as a "major breakthrough." He continues:

Yes, Scott is a conservative . . . For me that isn’t a problem. . . But what worries me is that Scott is of the Tea Party ilk, and as such, he’s not even open to dealing with people who see the world differently. It’s telling, for instance, that Scott has refused to join the Congressional Black Caucus.

Of course, hooking up with the CBC shouldn’t be a litmus test for black members of Congress, but someone with Scott’s conservative views should at least be at the table for discussions on issues affecting African Americans. In other words, this guy doesn’t sound like someone willing to work across the aisle.

Anyway, I’m going to do some more reading up on Rep. Scott. In the meantime, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that he isn’t someone the South Carolina GOP decided to keep DeMint’s seat warm until a special election is held in two years while trying to reap any benefits from appearing to be, let’s just say, diversity-sensitive.”